Qianqian Yuan, Liansheng Larry Tang, Feng Yang, Diane E. Brandt and Leighton Chan
This paper aims to estimate the performance of the social security administration (SSA) in dealing with disability benefits applications in American.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to estimate the performance of the social security administration (SSA) in dealing with disability benefits applications in American.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors propose a multi-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) method to analyze the efficiency of 167 hearing offices (HOs) to find the best performed HOs and inefficient ones and detect total improvement of inefficient and weak efficient offices.
Findings
The results show that totally 299,711 applications were processed and more applications will be processed if all offices can work efficiently. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first one to analyze the performance of SSA HOs using the multi-stage DEA method.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first one to analyze the performance of SSA HOs using the multi-stage DEA method.
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This paper reports on research into adolescents' mental health literacy, focusing on their ability to recognise two diagnosable mental illnesses and three mental health problems…
Abstract
This paper reports on research into adolescents' mental health literacy, focusing on their ability to recognise two diagnosable mental illnesses and three mental health problems associated with loss. A vignette‐based questionnaire was developed and completed by a school‐based sample of adolescents. Different levels of understanding were identified for each vignette. Participants responded well, demonstrating the different levels of understanding. Grading of the responses provided an opportunity to explore and discuss differences between professional and lay understanding of mental health and illness. It was also useful when considering implications for practice. These were considered in relation to mental health promotion for young people and training the workforce across the child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) tiers.
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In an urbanising world, neighbouring is perceived to be steadily losing significance and a remnant of the past. The same belief can also be found in China where rapid urbanisation…
Abstract
In an urbanising world, neighbouring is perceived to be steadily losing significance and a remnant of the past. The same belief can also be found in China where rapid urbanisation has had a tremendous impact on the social networks and neighbourhood life of urban residents. This chapter challenges the common perception of neighbouring in demise and argues that neighbouring remains an important form of social relationship, even if the meanings and role of neighbouring have changed. This chapter first charts the changing role of neighbouring from the socialist era to post-reform China. It then provides an account of four common types of neighbourhoods in Chinese cities – work-unit estates, traditional courtyards, commodity housing estates and urban villages – and considers how and why neighbouring in different ways still matters to them. In pre-reform socialist China, neighbourhood life and neighbouring comprised much of the daily social life of residents. Since the reform era, with the proliferation of private commodity housing estates, middle-class residents prioritise comfort, security and privacy, such that neighbouring levels have subsided. Nevertheless, in other neighbourhood types, such as work-unit housing estates, traditional courtyards and urban villages, neighbours still rely upon one another for various reasons.
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VR offers a novel medium for video games, significantly impacting their aesthetics and design. This chapter aims to explore how VR as a medium affects the aesthetics and design of…
Abstract
VR offers a novel medium for video games, significantly impacting their aesthetics and design. This chapter aims to explore how VR as a medium affects the aesthetics and design of VR video games. The author begins by introducing video games as an art form, emphasizing their unique ability to sculpt player agency. Two potential pitfalls in game design are highlighted: games can be either too restrictive or too permissive in structuring the player's agential role, especially given VR's sense of presence. The sense of presence in VR, defined as the experience of ‘being there,’ is a central element that can both enhance and complicate game design. A conceptual framework for designing virtual items is presented, distinguishing between virtual reproductions and representations. This framework is then applied to the sense of presence to demonstrate how VR exacerbates the potential pitfalls in game design. By understanding these dynamics, VR game designers can better navigate the balance between restriction and permissiveness, ultimately creating more engaging and cohesive gaming experiences. The chapter argues that while VR's unique capabilities offer expanded creative possibilities, they also require careful consideration to avoid common design pitfalls.
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Helen M. Dah, Robert J. Blomme, Ad Kil and Ben Q. Honyenuga
This study focuses on the factors that determine the readiness of hotels to implement customer relationship management (CRM) in hotels within the context of Ghana. The sample…
Abstract
This study focuses on the factors that determine the readiness of hotels to implement customer relationship management (CRM) in hotels within the context of Ghana. The sample consisted of 292 employees (restaurant managers, customer service officers, customer relations' officers, and marketing managers) from 3- to 5-star hotels. The study adopted a quantitative deductive approach to collected data using cross-sectional survey, which was analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings revealed that management change initiatives and culture have significant impact on organizational readiness to implement CRM in hotels, specifically Ghana. Also, the organizational culture partly mediates management change initiatives and organizational readiness to implement CRM activities. On the other hand, use of technology proved not to mediate management change initiatives and organizational readiness as the relationship proved not to be significant. Also, culture and use of technology have not mediated management change initiatives and organizational readiness as the indirect path proved not to be significant. The outcomes have useful implications for CRM adoption by hotel managers.
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Summer is here. Not only have you noticed that the dogwood and irises are in bloom, but you've also tracked the barrage of garden and lawn‐related questions of the past few months:
The purpose of this paper is to propose a classification for customer participation (CP) in services. Furthermore, it develops research propositions examining the moderating role…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a classification for customer participation (CP) in services. Furthermore, it develops research propositions examining the moderating role of the proposed classification on the link between the magnitude of CP and service outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
Building on the process-output framework, the paper explores the contingent nature of the effect of CP magnitude on service outcomes (satisfaction and efficiency).
Findings
The research propositions suggest that specific output enhances the positive effect of CP magnitude on satisfaction but also intensifies the negative effect of CP magnitude on efficiency; conversely, generic output diminishes the positive effect of CP magnitude on satisfaction but mitigates the negative effect of CP magnitude on efficiency. The effect of CP magnitude on satisfaction is stronger for a structured participation process than for an unstructured process; while the negative effect of CP magnitude on efficiency is stronger for an unstructured participation process than for a structured process. Further, process structure has an asymmetric enhancing effect on the negative link between CP magnitude and efficiency such that the enhancing effect of process structure is stronger for specific output than for generic output; likewise, process structure has an asymmetric enhancing effect on the positive link between CP magnitude and satisfaction such that the enhancing effect of structure is stronger for generic output than for specific output.
Research limitations/implications
The research provides a conceptual approach to classify CP. Further research can focus on empirical validation as well as expanding the scope and variables examined.
Practical implications
The research points to guidelines to structure CP activities based on the nature of the participation process and the type of service output to achieve the competing goals of customer satisfaction and efficiency.
Originality/value
The proposed classification offers a new method to visualize CP in services. The framework is applicable to a wide variety of services, service contexts, and resources contributed by customers during their participation.
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While researchers have studied the impact of social media on tourist behaviour Milano et al. (2011) and Hays et al. (2013), very few studies have explored the impact of social…
Abstract
Purpose
While researchers have studied the impact of social media on tourist behaviour Milano et al. (2011) and Hays et al. (2013), very few studies have explored the impact of social media on sustainable tourism, and thus, it can be said to be in its “infancy” (Han et al., 2017). There exists a “knowledge gap” not just with tourists but also with researchers, as the issue on sustainable tourism consumption is “rarely investigated directly in tourism researches” or consumer behaviour studies, and there is often discrepancy in literature on the issue (Cohen et al., 2014; Bray et al., 2011). While the potential for social media in promoting sustainable tourism is known considering the use of it for socialisation and knowledge sharing, empirical researches to make in depth enquiry on the same is “rare” (Ali and Frew, 2010; Sarkar et al., 2014). Also, the differences between markets for sustainable tourism amongst different markets needs to explored further (Weber, 2019). The purpose of this study is to fill this gap by proposing a conceptual framework and empirically testing how social media can be used to generate and promote sustainable tourism demand among through evidences from Indian tourists. RQ1: what are the key drivers to use social media by sustainable tourists? RQ2: can social media promotions help sustainable demand generation through spreading awareness and connecting fellow sustainable tourists?
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 350 Indian tourists were reached through Google forms distributed through various channels, amongst which 265 responded with a response rate of 75.7%. The data were coded and checked for any outliers and missing values. To avoid any biases, incomplete forms were not counted and after data cleaning, 250 respondents were found to be appropriate with all the responses. Analysis of demographic and travel profile was done through SPSS 22 to check variances in the groups, frequencies and chi square values were calculated. Since this is an exploratory study, the aim was more on prediction rather than model confirmation, thus the technique used and found to be appropriate was partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).
Findings
Variances of social media were used in the demographic groups and found that there was no significant difference found as per age and education. Even variation of travel habits was found to be not significant with social media use. It can be seen that social media promotion activities indeed create awareness amongst people about sustainability; creating awareness about sustainability indeed leads to connecting green tourists together. On the other hand, social media promotional activities may not necessarily connect potential green tourists together; awareness positively impacts the generation of sustainable demand is also supported. It can be seen that merely connecting potential green tourists does not necessarily create demand. Social media promotion activities are indeed instrumental in creating a sustainable demand amongst tourist.
Research limitations/implications
This study takes into account the informational and environmental knowledge aspect of sustainable behaviour adoption by green tourists (Swarbrooke and Horner, 2007; Miller, 2003; Chan et al., 2014). This study draws implications based on the behaviour of Indian tourists and thus, the generalisation to other countries may not be as accurate as Indians differ culturally from the world at large. Even though the study involves different age groups, the mean age is of younger Indian tourists, which is also often considered as the most active users of social media and thus likely to be impacted more. Also, it is believed that these younger green consumers who are already inclined towards sustainability tend to seek more information on ethical issues (Finney, 2014). The sample size of the study is very small (n = 250) and was only checked for variation amongst gender and profession; other aspects such as income and employment (Swarbrooke and Horner, 2007; Miller, 2003) have been kept out of the study and thus not included as a part of demographics. More demographic characteristics can be taken into account to study if they play a mediating role in generating sustainable demand as a part of the analysis of this conceptual framework proposed.
Practical implications
Internet allows users to obtain information about products and brands to its users through various social media such as blogs, forums, wikis content sharing, etc. (Hennig-Thurau and Walsh, 2003; Reilly and Weirup, 2010). Strategies can thus be formulated to target sustainable tourists with sustainable destinations and amenities, so as to attract those tourists who appreciate and commit to the cause of sustainability (López-Sánchez and Pulido-Fernández, 2016). Using social media as a promotion tool can help in educating customers (Xiang and Gretzel, 2010) on the various sustainable tourism services they intend to offer, as the results supports the use of social media promotion for generating sustainable demand amongst the tourists. Also, the sustainable tourism providers can make use of promotional activities focussing on building online pro environmental tourist-based communities using the user generated contents which can positively lead to adoption of collective social behaviour and sustainable practices (Han et al., 2017). Specifically, the use of short interactive messages can be used for social media promotions, so as to increase “organisation prominence” amongst the green target groups online (Strähle and Gräff, 2017). While it was noted that different markets react differently to the idea of sustainability, and thus, different markets need to be explored deeper (Weber, 2019); this study attempts to provide a perspective of Indian tourists which not just adds to the literature on Indian tourist behaviour but also provides a viewpoint of the Asian tourists. It also enriches the existing literature on the use of AIDA model for services and tourism specifically which as a theoretical base is unexplored.
Originality/value
The study adds to the rising interest in understanding the behavioural changes in tourists (Hall, 2016) and provides insights on “the versatility of the topic of relationship between sustainable tourism and marketing” (Font and McCabe, 2017). While ethical consumption is essential to preserve resources, the study of this area of consumer behaviour is “under examined”, as majority studies focus on products, very few studies elucidate on encouraging it through social marketing (Newholm and Shaw, 2007). Thus, this study attempts to fill the gap in the literature by proposing a framework for generating sustainable demand amongst tourists so that they are inclined socially and sustainably both through the use of social media. It is often noted that tourists are unwilling to change their travel behaviour as a result of lack of awareness or due to hesitance of sacrificing (Juvan and Dolnicar, 2014; Miller et al., 2010). This study provides empirical evidence that supports the awareness of sustainability as a means of generating sustainable demand amongst tourists. Knowledge regarding tourism demand helps in the further development of tourism products and its marketing initiatives (Weber, 2019). Thus, it allows tourism players to understand that Indian tourists are open to sustainable tourist practices if enough information is provided to them.
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Huiru Yang, Delia Vazquez and Marta Blazquez
The competitive luxury market raises higher requirements for luxury brands to effectively involve young generations in creating and endowing meanings to products, services and…
Abstract
The competitive luxury market raises higher requirements for luxury brands to effectively involve young generations in creating and endowing meanings to products, services and experiences. Several researchers suggest that art experiences create a fertile source of co-creation practices for cultural customers as they could engage in cognitive, emotional and imaginal activities to endowing meanings to products or services. Hence, bridging art and luxury is of significance for luxury brands to create value and engage their customers. This chapter delivers the essence of value for luxury brands and their customers and focusses on how luxury brands deploy art-based initiatives as a favourable technique in which value co-creation takes place.
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– This paper aims to examine the price-sensitivity of information under capital market disclosure regulation, the Australian continuous disclosure regulation (CDR).
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the price-sensitivity of information under capital market disclosure regulation, the Australian continuous disclosure regulation (CDR).
Design/methodology/approach
The study tests the information content of continuous disclosures and identifies the firm characteristics that condition the price-sensitivity of information under CDR.
Findings
The study provides evidence that continuous firm disclosures are significantly associated with stock price adjustment to information. Further results are consistent with firm disclosure and its information content being determined by the economics of the firm.
Practical implications
The findings of the study support the introduction of ongoing and continuous disclosure regimes in a number of capital markets, and assist firms and regulators model the price-sensitivity of information under CDR.
Originality/value
The study highlights the sources of an informed market, and contributes to our understanding of the conditions under which the CDR reveals unexpected information. The results provide evidence of an association between firm disclosure and stock price synchronicity, consistent with managerial incentives to disclose information.